October 5, 2004

Speaker Biography

Until the end of July, Lieutenant General Mieczyslaw Bieniek served as the commander of the Multinational Division in Iraq. He currently commands the 2nd Armored Corps in Krakow, Poland.

General Bieniek arrived in Iraq after having served as the NATO deputy commander of the 3rd Army Corps in Turkey. In 1999 he was chief of the Exercise, Education, and Training Branch at SHAPE in Belgium. Before that he led the North Polish Brigade in SFOR and served as the chief of Crisis Management Division in the Polish Ministry of Defense. In 1996, General Bieniek took over command of the 25th Air Cavalry Division. Two years earlier, he commanded the 6th Air Assault Brigade in Krakow.

Until 1993 General Bieniek served as the chief logistics officer at the UN Mission in the Western Sahara Desert. From 1989 to 1991, he was the chief of staff and then commanding officer of the Polish Contingent on the Golan Heights. From 1983 to 1989, General Bieniek served with the 16th Airborne Battalion in the 6th Airborne Division, first in the rank of chief of staff and then as the commander.   

General Bieniek joined the Polish Army as an officer cadet in 1969. He is a parachute jump master with more than 2,500 jumps. He has been awarded the Bachelor Cross of the Rebirth of Poland, the Golden Cross of Achievement, the Golden Armed Forces Achievement Medal, the UN Medal for operation in UNDOF, the UN medal for operation in MINURSO, and the NATO medal for operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

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